ARTICLES ABOUT NURSE BY DATE - PAGE 3

VIRGINIA BEACH - Sheriff Ken Stolle said Wednesday that a team of three nurses determined Jacquelynn Schwartz was not going through alcohol withdrawal before she died July 18 in a jail cell. Schwartz, 31, of York County, later choked to death on her plastic identification bracelet after being placed in a solitary cell, authorities said. The decision to place her in the cell, was a "medical decision," Stolle said when the Daily Press toured the Virginia Beach Correctional Center where Schwartz was held.

JAMES CITY - Kendra Robinson held a package of ground turkey in one hand and 93 percent lean ground beef in the other. "Is ground turkey better than ground beef?" she asked. She checked the labels. The ground turkey had 220 calories and 17 grams of fat per serving. The lean beef had 170 calories and 7 grams of fat. Lean ground beef is the better choice, she said. "I don't trust anything I read on the front of a box," said Robinson, a registered nurse and nurse educator at Olde Towne Medical Center in James City County.

A growing nurse aide shortage in local hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities has prompted a new fast-track training program at the Williamsburg campus of Thomas Nelson Community College. The 2-month program that starts Jan. 25 can accommodate 10 students. "One local employer recommended that we double that to 20 as soon as feasible because of the shortage of nursing aides in the region," says Carmen Burrows, associate vice president for workforce development at the college.

Before Haydee Grube's husband became a patient at Eastern State Hospital, she feared for her life. Her husband of 40 years, Charles Grube, tried to choke her. She knows it wasn't him, but the Alzheimer's disease he was diagnosed with. When she could no longer care for him at home, she tried to place him in two different hospitals and then three private nursing homes, but none would take him for long. Until Eastern State. He's been there for four years now. Medicaid certification or not, Eastern State Hospital's Hancock Geriatric Center was a godsend, the 70-year-old Poquoson resident said.

NEWPORT NEWS — A former certified nursing assistant at a Denbigh group home pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexually assaulting a mentally disabled man in his care. Junious Boyd Batten, now 42, admitted to raping the 55-year-old man — who prosecutors say has the mental capacity of a child — on multiple occasions, according to a statement of facts Batten agreed to in a plea deal. The victim was told to get undressed, and lie face down on the bedroom floor, followed by the assaults, the statement said.

— Donna Terry remembers clearly Joel Osteen speaking out of the TV and seemingly directly to her. She took the message as a sign to get moving. Terry had always wanted to go to nursing school, and in the winter of 2007, Osteen's words carried the message that it was time. "Joel Osteen said if you felt like the Lord has been putting something on your heart to do, and you felt strongly about it, that the Lord will never put something on you to do what he would not give you the strength to be able to get through," said Terry, who will only give her age as in the 40s. "It was like an epiphany, and I thought you know, I've been thinking for so long about going to RN school.

HAMPTON – If you're scouting for a job, the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute is looking for about 60 people to hire by June. The new cancer center is holding a job fair Wednesday, May 12 from 5-8 p.m. The building is at 40 Enterprise Parkway in Hampton, and is scheduled to officially open in August. Jobs up for grabs include registered nurses, receptionists, accounting personnel, certified medical physicists, medical billing representatives and facility maintenance personnel.

—A Thomas Nelson Community College student is among Virginia's top 10 community college students as ranked by USA Today, the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and the American Association of Community Colleges. Donna Terry, a TNCC nursing student who lives in Newport News, was selected, according to a TNCC press release. She has a 3.97 grade point average, will graduate in May and plans to transfer to Virginia Commonwealth University. Terry is active in her PTK chapter at TNCC and is a Coca Cola Bronze Star recipient.

The Hampton VA Medical Center will receive funds to replace fire alarm and nurse call systems through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday. The $1.5 million project to upgrade the two systems was awarded to Adira Construction Inc., a small, veteran-owned business in Chesapeake. In addition, the Hampton center will complete an electrical upgrade project estimated at $6.2 million. Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, D- Newport News, said the stimulus-funded work "will go a long way toward enhancing and improving the benefits our veterans have earned."

WindsorMeade of Williamsburg, a James City County continuing care retirement community, announced it had received clearance from the Virginia Department of Health to begin admitting residents to its nursing facility. WindsorMeade began admitting residents and eligible individuals from outside the community this week. The nursing facility is made up of 12 private, furnished residences with private bathrooms. The community now offers seniors a full spectrum of retirement living — from active, independent living to assisted living to a nursing home.